D&D 5E WotC On Tasha, Race, Alignment: A Several-Year Plan

WotC spoke to the site Dicebreaker about D&D race and alignment, and their plans for the future.

• On of the motivations of the changes [character customization] in Tasha's Cauldron was to decouple race from class.
• The 'tightrope' between honouring legacy and freedom of character choice has not been effectively walked.
• Alignment is turning into a roleplaying tool, and will not be used to describe entire cultures.
• This work will take several years to fully implement.

 

[Xeviat]

I wonder if these "issues" will be the reason 6e becomes a thing sooner than later.

I smell 6E around the corner. Likely 2024 for the 50th Anniversary.

 

[Xeviat]

The switch from a default "Entire cultures can be uniformly bad or good but some individuals may not be" to a default "Cultures cannot be uniformly good or bad, but individuals may be" is an interesting one. The effect on playstyle is to significantly limit the ability of non-evil PC groups to strike first.

You go from "kill em unless there is a clear and present indicator that is wrong" to "never kill em unless there is a clear and present indicator that is right".

It may be more nuanced, but I question if it is more fun.

Personally, it would drive me to use more things like low CR demons, or animals, beasts, monstrosities, undead, and aberrations for when I want morally absolute adventures, and humanoids when I want morally relative adventures.

 

[Mistwell]

Kind of like how alignment is used by many people, and not by others? Or how the optional rules in Tasha’s will be used by many people, and not by others?

Yes, exactly like that.
Did you mistake me for someone who disagrees with that view?

If you like your games to be about killing people and taking their stuff, knock yourself out. Nothing WotC can do can stop you from doing that. If you’re worried about that no longer being the focus of published modules, you’re about 20 years behind the times.

Ah see I disagree. WOTC has put out plenty of material specifically for that playstyle in 5e. We're playing through Tales from the Yawning Portal right now and have been for a year now, and are about to start Dungeon of the Mad Mage in a couple of weeks. Both adventures have as their focus "killing things and taking their stuff" as a sort of generalized description.

Again, WOTC supports many types of playstyles, and this is one of the playstyles they support. Your declaration that they have "moved past" that playstyle as if it's not one they still support in addition to other playstyles is false. Objectively so. They support a range of styles including that one.

 

[Shiroiken]

WotC will do what they have to do, but I won't be accepting it in my games.

 

[Retreater]

I can't help but think this is like tanar'ri in 2nd edition: a change to placate people who don't play the game or know anything about it.
D&D won't work without evil humanoids to fight. Moreover, popular culture depends on it. Look at Stormtroopers. Look at any of the faceless Marvel villain grunts. Evil creatures in evil hats have to exist in our media. You can't be a hero against shades of gray.

 

[DND_Reborn]

I can't help but think this is like tanar'ri in 2nd edition: a change to placate people who don't play the game or know anything about it.

Oi! I remember that!

 

[Hurin70]

I'm all for retconning the racism and sexism out of DnD.

I like more character options as a general principle.

But when the Halfling takes a racial Strength bonus and the Minotaur does not, I'm out. Sorry, but that just makes no sense to me.

 

[tetrasodium]

I wonder if these "issues" will be the reason 6e becomes a thing sooner than later.

We can only hope, although I expect an a5e, 5.25e/5.5e/both first It's a promising list though

 

[Charlaquin]

I can't help but think this is like tanar'ri in 2nd edition: a change to placate people who don't play the game or know anything about it.
D&D won't work without evil humanoids to fight. Moreover, popular culture depends on it. Look at Stormtroopers. Look at any of the faceless Marvel villain grunts. Evil creatures in evil hats have to exist in our media. You can't be a hero against shades of gray.

You are incorrect on all counts.

 

[Crimson Longinus]

I can't help but think this is like tanar'ri in 2nd edition: a change to placate people who don't play the game or know anything about it.
D&D won't work without evil humanoids to fight. Moreover, popular culture depends on it. Look at Stormtroopers. Look at any of the faceless Marvel villain grunts. Evil creatures in evil hats have to exist in our media. You can't be a hero against shades of gray.

You do understand that 'Stormtrooper' is not a race?